The expected battle with the White House over the add-ons is getting far less attention than debate over Iraq, but it could reveal a lot about how much Democrats will be able to rewrite the Republican president's budget later this year.
Bush has yet to veto a spending bill, and Democrats are gambling he'll sign the Iraq measure despite objections to spending he didn't seek. Republicans, meanwhile, may be reluctant to vote against the package since it contains funds for U.S. troops overseas.
Lawmakers from the Great Plains are pressing for about $4 billion in disaster aid for farmers suffering under drought conditions.
The California delegation is demanding help for citrus, avocado and other Central Valley farmers facing $1.2 billion in losses from a devastating January freeze. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is a powerful ally in the effort to win the region unemployment, food and housing aid. Gulf Coast lawmakers want $1.3 billion above the $3.4 billion requested by Bush for hurricane relief. Northwest lawmakers are desperate for about $400 million to extend payments to rural counties hurt by cutbacks in federal logging.
And governors are pressing for $745 million to address a shortfall in the State Children's Health Insurance Program that threatens to deny health coverage for about 500,000 children in 14 states. House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, D-Wis., promised Tuesday that SCHIP money will be added to the Iraq bill.
Obey also has promised to add $3.1 billion for local communities affected by military base closings and for redeployment of 12,000 troops stationed in Germany and South Korea to domestic bases. To free funds for Democratic initiatives, that money was left out of a spending bill approved earlier in February.
Both Democrats and Republicans are pushing extra spending into the war funding bill as they seek to advance domestic priorities that would probably stall if advanced on their own.
That's not what the White House says should happen. "This supplemental is about emergency spending for the global war on terror and we need to make sure we stay on that track," said budget office spokesman Sean Kevelighan.
Added House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio: "Our focus must be on supporting our troops in harm's way _ without strings attached _ not on using a military spending bill as an excuse to fund pork-barrel projects and other unrelated projects." Bush and GOP leaders on Capitol Hill managed to keep prior war funding bills largely free of such budgetary add-ons when Republicans controlled Congress. Now that Democrats are in charge, the party's leaders are eager to use the cost of the war as leverage to force Bush to accept spending _ such as aid to farmers _ that he has successfully killed in the past.
"It's starting to become a train onto which a lot of baggage is being thrown that has got nothing to do with the war or really legitimate emergencies," said Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H. Countered Obey: "We will only fund what is necessary."
Whatever is added to the bill in the House is likely to grow in the freer-spending Senate.
Kevin Zeese is Executive Director of the Campaign for Fresh Air and Clean Politics (www.FreshAirCleanPolitics.net) whose projects include Voters for Peace (www.VotersForPeace.US., True Vote (www.TrueVote.US and www.TrueVoteMD.org) and Climate Security (www.GlobalClimateSecurity.org). He is also president of Common Sense for Drug Policy (www.csdp.org).
It's so adorable how they got swept into office only because the public wants the war stopped -- then the first thing they do is take impeachment off the table, and say they won't cut the war funding because they "support the troops." (That's Dem-speak for "force the troops to keep fighting an immoral war.")
Then they turn around and start pursuing the one thing they're serious about: patronage.
How can you not love 'em? They're so adorable, such cute l'il rascals!
by
Richard Mynick (2 articles, 3 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 1213 comments)
on Thursday, March 1, 2007 at 9:50:09 AM
These people in Congress (should be renamed Progress) are all one party. Always have been. They deserve academy awards as they are all actors. They have all sold their soul, to the God they adore, Money. Self serving is a polite term for the greed and corruption which emenates from their spirits.
But as the prophets of old have predicted, a time will come, when accountability would be administered to this treasonous bunch. The time draws ever nearer as daily events, though cleverly disguised in illusion, ( Thanks to a treasonous press) the truth seems to rise like a phoenix, online, like our God has a hand in things! His work touches so many good spirits there. Lightkeepers and wayshowers abound online, while corporate illusion emenates from every television broadcast. Reminds me of the movie, "Network", viewed by my generation many moons ago.
I'm so glad God is here, are'nt you? He has said he loves all his little actors and actresses here. I believe him. We have awakened to his call and can now discern the makeup upon these Congressional faces. None will be left standing when the accountant opens the books for all to see. It will be a day which will live in infamy. The day Peace forever was born upon mother earth. I'm glad I'm here to see it emerge in the NOW.
I claim no party allegiance as none are true to their oaths. I belong to no secret society which dictates the supremacy of their oath, above all others. I belong to no church but the one within, where I can commune with the Lord anytime and anyplace without having a middleman around to show me the way. My spirit walks on the light side of life, while these ones prefer the dark or shady side of life. But I understand and love them for awakening us to their identical self serving interests. We the people have learned our lessons well and are now awake.
Have no fear as a great change is near and the status quo will have to take the toys they now have and go home. Somewhere else, not here on this earth. Because this earth is ascending with those enlightened ones and I don't mean, the Luciferians.
We the people, of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, to establish Justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence and secure the blessings of Liberty, to ourselves and for our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution of the United States of America.
I wrote that from memory, I ask myself, has our Congress even read it? Point here is, Republicrat or Democan, same turkeys, different stuffing. I suggest we vote to place, "None of the above!", on all ballots. That's right, they only do that in Free countries, which there are none, thanks to these greedy geniuses.
Take the world back with your thoughts. You are more powerfull than you know. This is the real war and we are all their prey, as an evolution is taking place. We the people have awakened and we are mad as hell and not going to take it anymore. The mighty mind with pen can work wonders.
Go bloggers, go, God's angels, all of you! Bless you ones, the lightkeepers and wayshowers. Congress ignores you, as the light blinds them because you show them standing naked in their skeleton infested closets.
Be patient and the right ones will come forward for all to see. Love one another and remain vigilant.
by
Bobinthebox (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 7 comments)
on Thursday, March 1, 2007 at 8:48:46 PM
2 comments
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